Who's off the Christmas card list? The biggest feuds of 2024 that rocked the sporting world
The biggest sporting feuds of 2024
This year dished up some spicey face-offs in the midst of some of the most polarising clashes at home and abroad.
Doping controversies, infighting between teammates and new chapters to old rivalries were littered throughout 2024.
Here are some of the stars who won't be exchanging cards this Christmas.
Travis Head vs Mohammed Siraj
The Indian quick copped a fine while the Aussie was warned after their exchange in the Adelaide Test.
The incident occurred in the 82nd over of Australia's first innings when Mohammed Siraj bowled Travis Head and pointed towards the Australia change room.
Head reacted verbally before leaving the field.
Shane Flanagan vs Ben Hunt
Shane Flanagan expressed frustration at Hunt's early exit from the club.
The Saints captain was released from the final year of his contract after angling for a move away from the Dragons, which saw him move to Brisbane.
"I needed to get to Ben, which I did, pretty early and see if I could resolve some of the issues that he was having with the club," Flanagan told The Bye Round with James Graham.
"I think I did that...But Ben has a good relationship with Anthony and he was pretty disappointed when he was terminated. I don't know if he got over that.
"And then there were a few other things that sort of annoyed Ben through a period of time."
Nick Kyrgios vs Jannik Sinner
Nick Kyrgios was having none of it when news of Jannik SInner's positive doping test came to light.
Sinner was cleared but Kyrgios questioned the way it played out as he did with Iga Swiatek.
Kyrgios poured fuel on the fire this week:
"If I played him in the Australian Open, I would just get every single person in the crowd to get on him. I would just turn it into an absolute riot. All respect would go out the window and I would just do anything to win."
Gorden Tallis vs Adam Reynolds
Tallis took aim at the Brisbane skipper for failing to stand up for now-fired coach Kevvie Walters.
Tallis pointed the finger at Reynolds, accusing the Broncos captain of abandoning Walters amid the club's 2024 finals fade-out.
"Kevvie came out and stood up for him (Reynolds)," Tallis said during the season.
"Now Kevvie has been under the pump and silence (from Reynolds) … crickets."
Josh Kerr vs Jakob Ingebrigtsen
British runner Josh Kerr said the pre-race noise around his rivalry with Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen did not impact his performance at Paris 2024.
There was plenty of chatter about the two in the lead up with many pundits predicting gold to come from Kerr.
But he came second.
"The storylines are going to be the storylines, it's going to continue I'm sure," he said.
"Comments will be made over the next couple of days. But this is an intense atmosphere, we're only getting to do this every four years.
"I wanted to come away with a medal that could put me on top of the world. I wasn't able to do that but I'm consistently showing up at these championships and putting together performances I can be proud of. That's the best I've got."
Russia vs IOC
In 2021, the International Olympic Committee ruled Russia would compete under the acronym "ROC", after the name of the Russian Olympic Committee.
It also announced the Russian national flag would be substituted by the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Russia and Belarus were banned from team sports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games because of the war in Ukraine.
The IOC installed a two-step vetting process for individual athletes from those countries to be granted neutral status.
Imane Khelif vs Angela Carrini
The Italian boxer Angela Carini broke down in tears after she abandoned her bout against the Algerian Imane Khelif after 46 seconds in a fight that sparked huge controversy at the Olympics.
The 25-year-old, from Naples, said: "I got into the ring to fight. I didn't give up, but one punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I'm going out with my head held high.
"After the second punch, after years of experience, I felt a strong pain in the nose. I said enough because I didn't want to. I couldn't finish the fight after the punch to the nose. So it was better to put an end to it."
Carini refused to shake the eventual gold-medal winner's hand, a move she later regretted.
Daryl Brohman vs Les Boyd
Les Boyd infamously broke Daryl Brohman's jaw during the 1983 State of Origin series, resulting in an intense rivalry that has endured for more than 40 years.
Brohman was livid the injury put him out of Kangaroos selection that year and when Boyd was inducted into the ARL's Hall of Fame this year, the former prop was not pleased by the news.
"I don't care if I never hear from him or see him again and he probably feels the same way,' he said on 2GB, where he now works as a footy commentator.
"I am upset and I'm not going to deny that I'm upset with it.
"I'm 68 and I think I know what is right and wrong and this is wrong."
Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill
Jamahal Hill was upset with how his fight went with the Brazilian this year, losing by a resounding KO.
Tensions between the pair recently reached boiling point at the UFC Performance Institute.
What began as a seemingly subtle exchange quickly escalated into a near-brawl.
"We had that Twitter exchange like a couple of days before. You know, I saw him at the PI, you know, and I was just like, I want to go up," Hill recounted.
"Then it kind of went from that to, 'Oh, you still awake?
"The actual context behind that was the fact that I wasn't knocked out. I got right back up, and I was still moving. I told him, 'You can get knocked out for real, like sleep, not moving.' And from there, he went on to grab the gloves, and then that whole little situation."
